Meerlust

Rubicon

Name: Pinot Noir
Brand: Meerlust
Price: 399 ZAR
Availability: InStock
Rating: Tim Atkin 93 (1 reviews)

Red Blend from Stellenbosch, South Africa

R655

Bottle size:

750 ml

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Meerlust

The 2016 Rubicon shows great charm and drinkability even at this early stage, no doubt a result of the high Merlot and Cabernet Franc composition. We were very cautious with regards to tannic structure as some of the later Cabs exhibited astringency which we wanted to minimise in the final blend. Wonderful exotic aromas of plum, sandalwood and perfume, still with a touch of creamy vanilla. The palate is medium bodied with a forward dark fruit flavour of cassis and mulberry followed by a lithe tannic structure fleshed out with juicy fruit. The impression is one of litheness and grace rather than over-arching power.

Vanilla

Plum

Mulberry

Cassis

The vintage was generally later with some uneven ripeness showing in the later Cabernets. A decision was made to practice very gentle extraction to ensure the wines were not overly tannic or astringent. The Merlots were the star of the vintage and so extended maceration on our best Merlot tanks yielding succulent, opulent wines. The varieties were fermented separately with a combination of remontage and delistage.

The 2016 growing season was unusually cool but quite dry, presenting unique problems of fruit set and ripening. Irrigation was used strategically even on the mature vineyards to ensure slow ripening and proper flavour and tannin development. The Merlot and the Cabernets were extensively suckered from early in the season, and during veraison vendage vert was applied extensively to ensure an evenly ripe crop.

Meerlust

Growing fine wines on the Meerlust Estate has been part of the Myburgh family tradition for eight generations beginning in 1756. Long recognized for producing world-class wines the Meerlust Estate is singularly rich in charm and history. A tour of the estate situated fifteen kilometers south of Stellenbosch reveals its graceful manor house classical wine cellar rose gardens family cemetery dovecote and bird sanctuary. The first owner of the property a German immigrant named Henning Huising recognized the beauty and potential of the farm and settled here in 1693. He named his new-found home Meerlust meaning pleasure of the sea as the manor house sits on a granite outcrop only 5 km from False Bay and in the warm summer months the vineyards are refreshed by ocean breezes and evening mists which roll in from the coast. Visitors to the Estate - a National Monument - have for centuries anticipated seeing the cool white façade of the Manor House as they passed through the gates and along the palm and oak tree-lined drive. Not much has changed. Today that sense of having arrived at a most treasured home and estate is enhanced by the knowledge - on seeing the sweep of vineyards that flank the drive - that here grow the grapes of the prized Meerlust wines. Contemporary Meerlust is an exciting fusion of the refreshingly modern and the tirelessly classical.